.400 Legend versus….

[jagermeister]

I’ve been putting off the purchase of a straightwall-eating pew pew since they came on the scene, mainly because I have a dedicated slug gun already (Savage 220). However, my son is of the age now to hunt and that 220 is just gonna knock his socks off. Obviously I don’t want a bad experience for him, recoil-related.

I originally had my heart set on a .350 Legend, for the relatively flat trajectory and low recoil. I’ve seen hundreds of deer killed by .350’s and .450 Bushmasters. To me, the .450 seems to be overkill. Those deer are often times “blown up” and a lot of meat gets tossed out. The added recoil and the ugly-ass muzzle breaks the manufacturers put on them take the .450 out of my list of potential options. The .350, overall, does a fine job on whitetails, but the blood trails are generally pretty weak and knockdown power leaves a bit to be desired, in my opinion. I think some of that could obviously be a product of bullet selection, though.

All that being said, I’m looking hard at purchasing a .400 Legend. On paper, it appears to be a nice Goldy Locks compromise between the .350 and the .450.

 

[jagermeister]

The 190-grain .400 offering from Winchester hits harder and shoots much flatter than the 150-grain .350 Legend. (2” drop at 200 vs 9”).

I know we have some diehard firearm guys on the forum with a wealth of ballistics knowledge. I like the specs of the .400 Legend, but I’m curious… Is it really all that it’s cracked up to be? Are there comparable (or better) straightwalled options available? How to other rounds compare?… like uthe .357 Max, .444, or .44 Mag? Help steer me in an informed direction before buying a new rifle!

 

[brock ratcliff]

We’ve killed ~20 deer with the 450. I’ve not seen any evidence of overkill. No excessive meat loss and the deer is generally laying where it formerly stood. I’m not trying to convince you to give them a closer look but will say it by far is the best round I’ve personally seen a deer killed with. IMO, 350 legend is the biggest POS used since the .410 slug. The fact that thing is touted as an effective round in anything less than 180 grains is absurd. I base that solely on personal observation and requests for drone services. I’ve never had a call from a 450 shooter and countless calls from 350s.

 

[whitetailjunky3]

Check out the 360 buckhammer!

 

[TinyTucky]

I am not a firearms nor ballistics expert by any stretch stretch of the imagination, but I will say both deer I shot with my .450 did some extensive damage, more than I cared for. The 3 deer that I’ve shot with my .350 had minimal damage, but were in a pile in no more than 20 yards. I will say the .350 leaves a very little, if any blood trail at all in my experience. I will be considering a .400 if I find one for the right price. I can PM you pics of my .450 victims, pretty brutal.

 

[switchhitter]

I am also not a firearms expert not by a long shot. I bought a 44 when I thought my granddaughter was going to hunt. That never happened but I shot 5 deer with the 44 none went far but I kept shots under 60 yards.

2 years ago I bought a 350 because I was never happy with the accuracy of the 44. I have now killed 2 deer with the legend. The first one with a copper bullet made by Winchester. The doe went 100 yards in the fresh snow and couldn’t find blood. I tracked her from the prints in the fresh snow, the bullet hit where you would want it to but never opened up the exit was through a rib looked like a drilled 3/8 hole.

the following year I changed to an FTP type bullet like the lever revolution
Accuracy was amazing and I shot a doe at 110 yards a couple inches behind the shoulder she hopped and fell over

if I where to by a gun today it would be the 450 or the 400. I just would like to have a little more energy

ammunition might be an issue with the 400 I don’t know if it is readily available

just my 2 cents

 

[Mike]

The .350 does not create good blood trails in my experience. It does kill deer though. I shot a doe a few years ago and killed her, but it took me awhile to find the hole.

 

[giles]

I have not had any problems killing deer with my 350 in 180 grains. The horror stories have me looking around for another round tho. So I'm here for it.

 

[Bowhunter57]

I absolutely love my Ruger American in 450 Bushmaster w/ Vortex 4-12x40. I reload my own ammo for it and use a Hornady 240 gr. FTX bullet, loaded to 2550 fps. No tracking jobs required! I hit one deer on the shoulder that damaged some meat, but it dropped on the spot and I was happy. I replaced the factory muzzle break, which was an ear buster, with a linear compensator and it was the best $40 I've spent. I can't say it is light on recoil, because it ain't. I thought the 45-70 was way worse, but that may have been the straight stock that's on most lever-actions.

I've only killed 1 deer with a 44 Mag. lever-action, but thought it was extremely low on recoil, great for accuracy and the deer dropped within sight. I'll be hunting with my Marlin 1894 in 44 Mag. this year and I'll let you know how it performs. I don't think you could go wrong with one, especially for a young hunter. Light weight, light recoil and accurate....what more could you ask for in any rifle? Put a sling and a scope on it and I would think any young hunter would be in great shape for the season.

 

[giles]

I will also add that my 44 mag can do some damage to the meat. You gotta shoot them like you do with a bow. I will still carry it if I will be in the woods. Great gun inside 100 yards.